In the late 1970s, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, three musicians who played covers of Motörhead and Judas Priest decided to take the sound further: faster, dirtier, darker. Venom — Jeffrey «Mantas» Dunn on guitar, Anthony «Abaddon» Bray on drums and Conrad «Cronos» Lant on bass and vocals — put out two records within two years, «Welcome to Hell» (1981) and «Black Metal» (1982), and almost all the extreme metal that followed was built on them, from thrash metal to black metal and death metal. Cronos died on 1 October 2026, at the age of 63, leaving behind sixteen studio albums.
From the first contract with Neat Records to the last record, Venom changed line-up and sound, without changing their core: speed, satanic imagery, aggression.
The unholy trinity
The classic line-up was also the most stripped-down: one guitar, one bass, one drum kit. Mantas wrote sharp riffs, Abaddon gave a rhythm closer to punk than to heavy metal, and Cronos sang as if he were threatening you. The aliases were their own invention, and along with the pentagrams and goat heads they built an image that sold as much as the music. Their satanism was spectacle, not belief: Cronos himself compared a Venom album to a horror film. Before they settled as a trio, Clive Archer also passed through the microphone, with the ironic alias «Jesus Christ».
The first golden era
The 1981-1986 period is the fans’ favourite. After the debut «Welcome to Hell», «Black Metal» in 1982 gave its name to an entire genre — even if Venom’s sound has nothing to do with the Norwegian black metal that came a decade later, that of Mayhem and the rest. Then came «At War with Satan» (1984), with the title track taking up the whole first side, and «Possessed» (1985), recorded inside a mansion, at the time they were touring America with Slayer and Exodus. In 1986 the live «Eine Kleine Nachtmusik» was released, just as relations in the group had begun to fracture. Mantas left, two new guitarists came in, and «Calm Before the Storm» in 1987 turned to sword and sorcery themes, without convincing.
Dolan and the years after
In 1988 Cronos left for a solo career and Abaddon was left alone with the Venom name. Tony «Demolition Man» Dolan, who came from Atomkraft, took over vocals and bass, while Mantas returned on guitar for a short while. This period gave us «Prime Evil» (1989), the EP «Tear Your Soul Apart» (1990), «Temples of Ice» (1991) and «The Waste Lands» (1992). It is the least known chapter of their discography — «Prime Evil» has fanatical defenders. When Music for Nations refused to release any more albums, Venom disbanded.
The return and the end
The classic trio reunited on 24 June 1995, with a headline appearance at Waldrock Festival, and the studio was waiting for them again with «Cast in Stone» (1997). «Resurrection» (2000) was the last record with Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon together.
From 2004 Cronos kept Venom going on his own, with guitarist Stuart «Rage» Dixon and drummer Danny «Danté» Needham, and together they put out six more albums: «Metal Black» (2006), «Hell» (2008), «Fallen Angels» (2011), «From the Very Depths» (2015), «Storm the Gates» (2018) and «Into Oblivion» (2026), the band’s sixteenth and final record. Meanwhile, Dolan, Mantas and Abaddon joined forces as Venom Inc. and released «Avé» (2017) and «There’s Only Black» (2022).
Sixteen studio records, forty-eight years, a name that remained synonymous with speed and darkness. Conrad «Cronos» Lant died on 1 October 2026, at the age of 63. Venom’s discography stays there, reminding us where it all started.
See also
See also: the death of Conrad «Cronos» Lant and Mantas and Abaddon’s appearance at Pitfest, on the 45th anniversary of the debut’s release.